San Jose Weighs Downtown Aesthetics Of High-Speed Rail Route
SAN JOSE (KCBS) - An elevated track or a tunnel? That was the question being tossed around ahead of a Tuesday San Jose City Council meeting about high speed rail plans.
KCBS' Matt Bigler Reports:
In September, the San Jose City Council agreed that a study should be conducted regarding an aerial track through downtown San Jose. Concerns emerged that a structure standing 20 ft. to 60 ft. would be an eyesore, possible dividing the community.
A new artist's rendering of the elevated high speed span was met with mixed reviews from commuters.
"I'm not too fond of it, I think regular tracks would be efficient enough," one man opined.
"I mean, it's big," acknowledged a young woman. "It doesn't look horrible.
"A high speed track might be a good thing," conceded another man. "But it's going to be ugly in my opinion."
Some on the city council reportedly had similar concerns. They appealed to Mayor Chuck Reed to keep a tunnel option on the table. He maintained, though, that the focus should be on the aerial track, as long as the High Speed Rail Authority allowed San Jose to approve or reject the final design - something that would happen next summer, at the earliest.
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